Florida commit a COPC standout
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FORT MEYERS, Fla. | One of the top performers during Sunday's 43rd annual City Of Palms Classic was 2017 Florida verbal commit Shai Alexander. InsideTheGators.com sat along the baseline to get an up close look at the first member of the Gators 2017 recruiting class.
With a number of high major prospects on the court, Alexander had the best performance of any backcourt player in a game his Hamilton Heights (TN) Christian Academy team won 57-56 in overtime over Westtown (Pa.). The 6-foot-4, 165-pounder was a great on court leader, a true extension of his coach. He showed the ability and poise to lead the team when they are dealing with adversity.
"It's really coach pushing me every possession trying to get me to be my best," Alexander said of his performance. "He was telling us the whole game to fight, and fight, and fight; and that's what I try to do fight."
Alexander sees the floor well and made several excellent passes through traffic into the post. He clearly knew how his bigs like to receive the ball. He seemed to always have his head up, surveying the court. Something that young point guards often struggle with. We asked Alexander why he was so consistent in that part of his game.
"It started at an early age with my dad, then I drifted away from it a couple of years ago," he said. "My AAU coach Dwayne Washington sharpened the small tools up and I always have my head up now."
When the Canada native committed to the Gators in November, it caught many by surprise, but in reality Alexander and White had been communicating with each other for a few months and knew he wanted to be a part of the program.
"My relationship with Coach White right off the bat," Alexander said about his decision to commit early. "He's a real guy and that's what I want in a coach. He seems very committed."
Alexander told us that watching the Gators all season helped him see how he would fit in and further confirmed that he made the right decision.
"I like to share the ball and they run a lot of pick-and-roll which is my favorite part of the game and I feel like I can contribute that way," he said.
Alexander, who committed to Florida November 25th while on his unofficial visit, https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1830850 uses the screen and roll well, has a good first step and shot it well enough to keep the Westtown defense honest. With the way Gators head coach Mike White wants to play, Alexander looks like a perfect fit - as well as a Top 100 prospect.
In the game we watched Alexander had 14 points, eight assists, four rebounds, two steals, one block and zero turnovers in 36 minutes of playing time. He was 6-of-15 from the floor and connected on 2-of-4 three-pointers.
Hamilton Heights Christian went on to defeat Athlete Institute (who features Thon Maker) on Tuesday evening to win the City Of Palms Signature Series championship. Alexander had 18 points (6-of-10 FG and 6-of-7 FT), five rebounds, four assists, four steals, one block and just two turnovers in 29 minutes of playing time in the title game.
WHAT'S NEXT?: Adding strength. At just 165 pounds, with a 6-foot-10 wing span, Alexander is 15 pounds away from being really good in the SEC. He can score, and makes everyone around him better. Alexander is a willing defender, an elite passer and plays with a high motor each possession of the game.
Russ Wood is a contributing national basketball recruiting analyst for Inside the Gators & Rivals. You can click HERE to follow him on Twitter.